APPETITE

by Kathyrn, Lorraine

  He kept looking at her as she watched him, his arm draped across the back of her chair, his hand caressing her back almost as if he felt he needed to reassure her. She smiled at him, shaking her head at his puzzled expression and reaching over to give his thigh a gentle squeeze. He shot a glance to his cousin, who simply smiled and nodded back at him, but it seemed to reassure Damien somewhat, and he was able to relax and enjoy their lunch together.

  After lunch, Charlie made her way back to Zeke and Gray's office with the two men. She spent the better part of an hour going over her list and thinking about what she had learned, starring some items and crossing others out. She then thought about what she had observed, all she had seen since agreeing to mate with Damien, and leveraged that against the remaining list, crossing out a few more things and adding a few more stars.

  Finally, her thoughts turned to Damien, and his interaction with not just her, but the pack. She asked a few questions of Zeke and Gray, added a few to her list but removed a lot more, and sat back, smiling. She finally wrote vows based on what she thought were the most important lessons she could take away from all she had learned and all she had observed, what she believed was important to the pack, and recited them to her tutors. She finished, voicing the opinion that it was too little.

  "It's perfect, Charlie," Gray said, his voice soft. His eyes shone a bit.

  "It is? Are you sure?" she asked.

  "Absolutely, doll," Zeke said, nodding, and Charlie was surprised to see tears on his cheeks. "And I can't wait to hear you recite them at the ceremony." He came over and scooped her up in a hug.

  "Thanks," Charlie said, her voice choked to no more than a whisper as Gray came around the desk and joined in the hug.

  "Welcome to the pack, Charlie," he said, as they broke apart. Big goofy grins on all three faces while they stood around with their hands linked, sniffling a bit.

  "Thank you. Thank you both. I can't wait to be part of your family," she said, giving their hands a squeeze.

  "You already are," Zeke said, squeezing her hand back before releasing it and winding his arms around Gray. "Now run along. Damien is waiting for you upstairs."

  "He is?" she said, smiling brightly.

  "He is," said Gray, turning slightly to embrace Zeke. "And he is getting anxious."

  "I'm sure he is," she laughed, suddenly anxious herself to see Damien. "I better get up there before he gets too grumpy," she waved as she walked out.

  She made her way upstairs, her head held high. She smiled and said hello to everyone she passed, unwilling to avoid making eye contact any more. She understood now how honorable, how open all those around her were, and the warmth of their acceptance of her into this extended family made her want to return that acceptance to everyone she saw. She reached the second floor and turned towards the apartment, her eagerness to see Damien growing, barely keeping herself from running through the door as she went inside.

  "Damien? I'm home," she called as she walked through the formal entry towards the great room.

  "I'm in the kitchen," he called.

  Charlie quickly made her way to the kitchen, wanting nothing more than to push her way into his arms and hold him. But as soon as she saw him standing at the stove she stopped, her breath caught in her throat and her heartbeat suddenly racing. He was in a pair of jeans, no shirt, his feet bare and his hair damp. She watched the way the muscles of his back moved and flexed as he stirred something on the stove, the sight keeping her immobile.

  "Did you have a good day?" he asked casually.

  "Yes, I did," she said, the question finally spurring her to move again. She walked up behind him and slid her arms around his waist. "How was your day?" she asked, her voice low, as she began kissing and tasting the skin of his back..

  "Dolcezza," he sighed, leaning back into her, dropping the spoon into the pot on the stove and turning off the burner.

  "God, cowboy, you're so sexy when you're barefoot in jeans and nothing else." She nuzzled his back before laying her cheek on it and just breathing him in. "I spent the afternoon just thinking about how lucky I am to have you in my life, how lucky I am to be loved by you. Then I walk in here to find you looking like this, and all I can think is the word lucky is too weak."

  "I am the lucky one," he said, turning around to embrace her. He ran his fingers through her hair as she gazed up at him.

  "Do you know how grateful I am that I am ignorant of basic car care?" Charlie asked, taking his hands and leading him out of the kitchen, walking backwards. "How thankful I am you couldn't resist a damsel in distress on the side of the road?" He gave a quick laugh at that.

  "You do know when I first pulled up all I saw was two very nice looking legs and one cute little butt attached to a woman on all fours in the gravel?" he teased.

  "Ah, so my nefarious plan worked?" she laughed.

  "Your plan?" he asked, pulling her to him.

  "Yes. To seduce you with my clumsiness and lackluster automotive maintenance."

  "I see," he said with a laugh. "Well then yes, your plan worked as designed, you little vixen." He quickly bent, hooking an arm behind her knees and around her shoulders to scoop her up.

  "I have ensnared you, and resistance is futile," she laughed softly before nuzzling his neck. He carried her towards the stairs, a low growl erupting from his throat as she began lightly biting up and down his neck.

  "I surrender," he said, making his way upstairs to their bedroom. He kicked the door closed behind them and set her gently on the bed. She crawled to the middle and rose up on her knees, holding her hand out to him and pulling him to her when he took it.

  "You surrender, huh?" she asked, guiding him to lay back on the bed. She climbed on top of him, straddling his abdomen with her thighs. "I think that's mutual, Damien, as I have already surrendered to you" She leaned forward slightly and traced his brows with her fingertips as he raised them questioningly.

  "I love you, Damien," she said, her voice just above a whisper as she leaned forward and began planting soft kisses along his forehead. "The past couple of days, I've been watching you." She kissed him from temple to temple, her lips softly touching his closed eyes. "Watching you move, watching you be," she whispered, kissing across his cheeks and nose, down to his lips. She brushed her lips against his softly before kissing down his chin.

  "Charlotte," he sighed, running his fingers through her hair as she kissed down his neck.

  "You are so damn strong, cowboy," she said, raising her head to look in his eyes. "Not just physically. Strong here," she murmured, leaning forward to kiss his forehead, "and strong here," she finished, bending down to plant a soft kiss over his heart. She sat up and looked him in the eyes, taking his hands from her hair and twining their fingers together.

  "I watched you lifting those logs like they were matchsticks, and that was so very sexy," she said, holding his gaze with her own. "Watching the way you handle the cattle, the steer, the way your muscles move beneath your skin. But do you know what is even better? What is so breathtaking for me to see?"

  "What?" he said, almost afraid to speak, afraid to end this spell she had put herself under.

  "The way you are with others." She leaned forward again and brushed her lips against his, the touch feather light. "Your strength, your...your solidness, Damien. It is so easy for others to lean on you, to gather their strength from yours." She dragged her lips down his neck to the base of his throat.

  "I saw you tackle a steer, a ginormous steer, right to the ground with your bare hands, and not even twenty minutes later you're holding little Annalise while she cries over her dead goldfish." She moved down, kissing his right shoulder and continuing down his arm before moving across to give his left shoulder and arm the same attention. Her kisses were soft, light, almost shy, making Damien's skin shiver. She sat upright on his thighs, and he watched as her fingertips ran lightly over the path her lips had forged.

  "You are so strong and so soft," she sighed. She picked up his left hand an
d brought it to her cheek.

  "I love your hands," she whispered, closing her eyes and rubbing her cheek against his palm as she held his hand to her face. "They're so rough from working the ranch, I love the coarseness against my skin when you touch me. And yet you touch me so gently." She brought his hand to her lips, kissing his fingertips and palm before putting it back at his side. "Strong and soft, rough and gentle," she sighed, running her hands over his torso. "A perfect balance.

  "And I am so lucky," she said, moving her hands back to his face to cup his cheeks. She looked into his eyes and smiled. "Thank you."

  "For?"

  "For loving me," she leaned forward and kissed him. "For giving me this family." She kissed him again, sucking on his lower lip. "For believing in me even when I refused to believe in you." She kissed him a third time, parting his lips with her tongue, a sound of satisfaction emanating from her throat as he eagerly kissed her back.

  "You don't need to th-," Damien said as Charlie left his lips to kiss down his neck again.

  "Hush," she said, laying a finger on his lips and raising her head. "I did, Damien. Just accept it, lie back, and let me show you how thankful I am." He nodded, his lips spreading into a smile beneath her finger. She smiled back at him before lowering her head to his neck again to pick up where she'd left off.

  Charlie took her time, using her fingers, hands and lips to explore every inch of Damien. She helped him out of his jeans, laughing softly in delight when she discovered he didn't have any underwear on. She made him roll over to his stomach, and moved down to kneel at his feet, and touching him with fingers and lips, her tongue flicking out regularly to taste his skin, slowly traveling along his body. Charlie cooed and sighed as she went, praising his taste, his scent, his texture, hiseverything. Damien desperately wanted to grab her and make love to her, but forced himself to remain silent and impassive, letting her have her way.

  "You have the most perfect ass. Did you know that?" she whispered, layering soft kisses across his buttocks as she knelt between his legs. She felt him tense and heard his breath catch and raised her head. "Ticklish...hmmm." She smiled to herself and returned to her explorations.

  "Charlotte," Damien sighed as she slowly made her way up his back, kissing and caressing from side to side. She reached his head and swept his hair back, exposing his neck before kissing it and nipping it with her teeth. "Charlotte," he growled, his voice low, the timbre vibrating through her and making her breathe erratically.

  "Turn over, please," she said into his ear, raising herself up from her seat on his waist while he quickly complied. Once he was settled on his back she bent down, putting her hands next to his head and flicking her head to move her hair over her left shoulder.

  "That was wonderful," he said, reaching up to cup her face.

  "I'm not done," Charlie said, flashing him a slightly wicked grin. She turned her head quickly and captured the first two fingers of his left hand with her mouth, sucking on them while fluttering her tongue against them, making him groan. She released his fingers and started kissing and nuzzling her way lazily down his body. She felt his cock hard against her thigh as she moved herself down his body and lifted her hips to move it beneath her, trying to limit the contact. Damien knew what she was doing and smiled.

  "Dolcezza," he said, his voice a seductive mix of plea and warning as she lightly kissed first one nipple then the other.

  "I love the way your hair here feels against my skin. So soft and springy." She rubbed her face lightly against his pecs. "I love the way it rubs against me when we make love." She continued her slow journey down his torso, placing her right hand along his shaft and gently holding it still as she moved down his right leg, light kisses and feathery touches driving Damien's need for her. She moved herself to sit between his legs, letting go of his cock and kneeling again at his ankles.

  "I love to watch your legs when you're on horseback, Damien," she said, trailing her fingertips along the inside of his leg, from his ankle to just below his balls and holding them there for one achingly anxious moment before removing them to drag them down the other leg. "I can see the muscles flexing under your jeans, the power they exude as you control the horse, making it look so effortless." She dragged her lips up his left leg, barely touching them to his skin, until she reached the top of his thigh.

  Charlie pulled her knees up the bed, sitting back on her heels, facing him. She held his gaze as she placed her fingers at the base of his shaft and lightly dragged her nails up his length. Damien's hips jerked, involuntarily following her hands, almost silently begging for more contact. She smiled, their eyes still locked as she did it again.

  "Fuck!" Damien grunted, his teeth clenched. Charlie gently pulled back his foreskin and bent down to lick up the come leaking from his tip, swirling her tongue around the head.

  "I love the way you taste," she sighed, sitting back again and moving her nails to lightly drag across his testicles, making him moan. "Tangy. Delicious." She bent down again and licked his tip lightly, flicking her tongue back and forth across the crown for a moment before shifting her legs slightly and taking him in to her mouth.

  "Charlotte," Damien ground out, his hands instantly fisting in her hair as she began to work his cock with her mouth, repeatedly sliding it down his shaft till it hit the back of her throat before pulling her head back up, increasing the suction and tightening her lips around him. She grabbed the base of his cock with one hand, stroking the part of him her mouth couldn't take, and used her other hand to stroke and squeeze his balls.

  Damien raised his head, needing to watch her. He was already close, her sultry teasing of his skin had quickly put him on edge and kept him there. She let his cock fall out of her mouth and began running her tongue and lips all over it, raising her eyes to meet his, knowing she bared herself to him completely in doing so and reveling in the freedom that granted her.

  "Come in my mouth, Damien," she whispered against the veins of his cock. He groaned in response and she dragged her tongue along the underside, from base to tip. "I want you to...to fuck my mouth." Her eyes remained on his even as her cheeks flushed pink, and Damien wondered again at her ability to be both seductress and ingénue.

  She swallowed his cock again, their eyes still locked, as he gripped her head through her hair. He began to thrust his hips up, shallowly at first, watching her face for any sign of discomfort or distress. She kept her eyes on his, her lids fluttering as she felt him begin to direct her actions more. Damien tightened his hold on her head, moving it up and down his shaft as he thrust his hips in time, moaning out her name, his voice gravelly. His eyes closed tight, and Charlie felt him tense in her mouth seconds before she felt his hot come hit the back of her throat and her senses were infused with his salty-lemon tang.

  She felt his grip on her head loosen and sat back on her heels, smiling as his hands fell limply to his sides. She watched his breathing slow and felt a tingle -- pride -- run down her spine at the knowledge she made him feel so good. His eyes opened slowly and he looked at her.

  "Dolcezza," he whispered, trying to pull her to him.

  "Later, Damien," she said, shaking her head. She moved to face him, placing herself on all fours, suspended above him. "This was about you." She kissed the corner of his mouth and smiled at him. "Besides, weren't you making something to eat?" she asked, climbing off the bed. She stood at the foot of the bed and stretched, going up on her toes briefly before running her fingers through her hair.

  "Charlie," Damien growled, watching her. He was already half hard again and he licked his lips. Her eyes widened at his look and she took a couple steps back.

  "Uh...aren't you hungry?" she asked as he started to get off the bed.

  "Oh, yes." Damien started walking towards her and she started to back up. "In fact, dolcezza, you could say I'm starved. Ravenous. And even...parched." His voice dropped as he inched closer and closer. He had a sudden intense desire to have her outside, to watch her face as she came, lit up by moonlig
ht and the pleasure she felt.

  Charlie watched as he stalked towards her, his gate and gaze predatory, and her desire for him surged. She saw his nostrils flare slightly as he breathed in and knew he could smell her increasing arousal.

  "Well, yes, the...the dinner you were heating up did smell lovely. Would you like me to get some for you?" she teased, expecting him to pick her up, throw her on the bed, and fuck her thoroughly.

  She was utterly shocked when instead he took her by the hand and started leading her downstairs. "No, my Charlotte. I find my appetite for stew has left me this evening." She followed behind him as he led her through their apartment and down the back stairs. She blushed when she realized he was completely nude -- again. "Now I am craving something far more exotic." He opened the back door to the ranch house and led her outside.

  "Exotic?" she asked, nervous excitement growing in the pit of her stomach. She looked up at the sky, still streaked in pinks and purples to the west, and saw the waning moon just cresting over the trees.